Yutang Lin
林鈺堂

 

Foreword

Ancient Chinese poems are very succinct, and each line in a poem consists of only 5 or 7 words. Hence, it is not easy to comprehend and appreciate their beauty unless one is well versed in classical Chinese. In 2009 I chose a few poems from the Tang Dynasty that I like very much and first paraphrased them into prose style, and then translated my version into English for more people to share their beauty. The resulting booklet is called ″Tang Poems in New Style,″ and it has been offered at our websites. Since then I came up with the idea that, now that people can comprehend the contents of those poems, will it be feasible and sensible to translate those original poems literally so that people may also have a sense of how succinct the ancient Chinese styles are? Of course, a literal translation will yield lines with some ″broken″ English; nevertheless, it might be interesting to see that English could also be so succinctly employed. To me personally it is also a challenge to see if I can accomplish such a task. In this collection of the original 9 poems that I had chosen in 2009, I offer results of my humble attempt at presenting a literal translation in English. Upon completion of this work, I think that this literal version might convey a sense of stylish simplicity to the readers.

October 23, 2016
El Cerrito, California

 

楓橋夜泊  張繼

月落烏啼霜滿天，江楓漁火對愁眠。
姑蘇城外寒山寺，夜半鐘聲到客船。

Floating Night at Maple Bridge
Zhang Ji

Moon descending crows cawing frost filled sky
River maples fishing fires sleeping facing worries
Gusu city outskirt Hanshan temple
Midnight bell tolls reached guest boat

 

望月懷遠　張九齡

海上生明月，天涯共此時。
情人怨遙夜，竟夕起相思。
滅燭憐光滿，披衣覺露滋。
不堪盈手贈，還寢夢佳期。

Looking at Moon in Missing from afar
Zhang Jiu Ling

Above ocean bright moon arise
At corners of sky this moment shared
Lovers hate distant night
Whole night awoke in mutual yearning
Extinguish candle for pervading light
Garment clad sensed dews increased
Incapable of scooping up some for you
Back to sleep to dream of good time

 

題破山寺後禪院  常建

清晨入古寺，初日照高林，
曲徑通幽處，禪房花木深。
山光悅鳥性，潭影空人心；
萬籟此俱寂，但餘鐘磬聲。

Chan Hut behind Split Mount Monastery
Chang Jian

Early morning entered ancient monastery
Rising sun shined at trees high
Winding path led to tranquil place
Chan hut in deep flowers and bushes
Mountain lights pleased birds′ nature
Pond images emptied people’s minds
Myriad sounds here all silenced
Only bell and qing sounds remained

 

聽蜀僧濬彈琴  李白

蜀僧抱綠綺，西下峨眉峰；
為我一揮手，如聽萬壑松。
客心洗流水，餘響入霜鐘；
不覺碧山暮，秋雲暗幾重。

Listening to Shu Monk Rui′s Playing of Qin
Li Bai

Shu monk holding Lyuqi
Came down west of Peak Emei
For me his hands waved
As if listening to pines in myriad valleys
Guest′s mind washed by flowing water
Lingering resonances entered frosty bell tolls
Unaware of green mountains turned dusk
Autumn clouds darkened several layers

 

春望  杜甫

國破山河在，城春草木深；
感時花濺淚，恨別鳥驚心。
烽火連三月，家書抵萬金；
白頭搔更短，渾欲不勝簪。

Looking afar in Spring
Du Fu

Country broken mountains and rivers remain
City in spring grasses and woods deep
Sentiments of this time flowers shed tears
Anguish of separation birds startle mind
Alarming fires set repeatedly in March
Letters from home worth thousands in gold
White hairs shortened by head scratching
Almost cannot uphold the hairpin

 

旅夜書懷  杜甫

細草微風岸，危檣獨夜舟；
星垂平野闊，月湧大江流。
名豈文章著？官應老病休；
飄飄何所似？天地一沙鷗！

Sentiments Recorded at Night during Travel
Du Fu

Fine grasses and gentle breezes on banks
Tall mast on boat at lonely night
Stars lowered flat wilderness wide
Moon emerged in currents of big river
How could fame be generated by writings
Official position should be resigned in sickness and old age
Floating here and there resembles what
One sand gull between sky and earth

 

山居秋暝  王維

空山新雨後，天氣晚來秋；
明月松間照，清泉石上流。
竹喧歸浣女，蓮動下漁舟；
隨意春芳歇，王孫自可留。

Autumn Dusk at Hill Residence
Wang Wei

Empty mountain after new rain
Weather autumn as evening approaches
Bright moon shines through pines
Clear spring flows over rocks
Uproars in bamboos are girls back from laundry
Moving lotuses are caused by launching fishing boats
Spring fragrances resting at will
Leisure guests naturally may stay as well

 

酬張少府  王維

晚年惟好靜，萬事不關心；
自顧無長策，空知返舊林。
松風吹解帶，山月照彈琴；
君問窮通理，漁歌入浦深。

 

In Reply to County Sheriff Zhang

Wang Wei

 

In old age only prefer tranquility
All matters are none of my concern
Seeing that I have no good plans
Vainly know to return to old forest
Pine breezes blow my belt loose
Mountain moon shines on playing qin
You ask about reasons for ups and downs
Fisherman′s singing is deep into the banks

 

過香積寺  王維

不知香積寺，數里入雲峰；
古木無人徑，深山何處鐘？
泉聲咽危石，日色冷青松；
薄暮空潭曲，安禪制毒龍。

Passing by Xiang Ji Monastery
Wang Wei

Not knowing Xiang Ji Monastery is
How many miles into the cloudy peaks
Ancient woods without human trails
In deep mountains where is the bell
Sounds of spring murmuring over tall boulders
Color of sun cold in green pines
Approaching dusk empties melodies around pond
Abiding in meditation pacifies dragons of poisons